Lots of questions

hjw002

I am 6 months away and still probably have less done than anyone else on this website.  We finally figured our our wedding party, but one of my bridesmaids is in NY and the other is in Africa for a few months.  I'm not even sure where to go about looking for bridesmaid dresses.  Does anyone have good suggestions.  I am trying to find a cake vendor, but struggling a little bit (Wuollet is probably the top runner, but it seems a little expensive).  I have not idea what to do for invites.  We got our e pics back, and they are great.  However, my inlaws still have not given me an invite list and my FI has given me no addresses, so we haven't sent the save the dates out.  I am thinking that they will now become holiday save the date's.  I might still take a class at Paper Depot, but have no idea how to schedule this with work!  Agh!  Any thoughts....

amyoqwanes

I really like Minted for stationary: www.minted.com. They have lots of unique and budget-friendly options.

Re: bridesmaids dresses, check out Flutter boutique. They have great samples of dresses that you can actually find across the country. Another option for spread out bridesmaids is to find a dress at a department store (Bloomingdales and Nordstrom are good options). That way your NY bridesmaid can go try on the dress at her local store. 

Good luck!

MaggieandJake

As far as bridemaid dresses go-I got mine at Davidsbridal.  They have a lot of styles to choose from and most are very decently priced (ours were only $99).  I also chose David's because not all of my bridesmaids are in the same location so having a national chain made it a lot easier for them to go and buy their dress/get measured. 

Check with your reception venue to see if they have a preferred vendor (they usually waive a cake-cutting fee and have a lower per slice charge).  We did 2 tastings, one at Buttercream, and one at Queen of Cakes (Edina).  Other popular names I've heard on TK are Keys Cafe, Muddy Paws Cheesecake, and Penny Steele.

Check out the invites/paper board for some ideas, advice on invites.  If you plan to make your own, they have some great ideas/help.  Otherwise, JoAnn and Michaels' both sell boxed invite supplies (everything you need) in many designs, and usually run about $30-$50 for 50 invites.  We got all of our invite supplies from Cardsandpockets.com

And if you're having trouble getting addresses/final guest list.  I'd tell my MIL that if there's anyone else she'd like to have invited to wedding, she needs to get those names/addresses to me by XX date.  Or you could have your FI bug her about that.

Good Luck!!

SSaltzman87

I second DB since your one BM is in NY if you're particular about having them all wear the same dress.

Otherwise, give them a color and length.

MAYA3300

For BMs dresses, besides Davids Bridal you should also look into JCrew and Ann Taylor websites. 

LolaBelle515

First off: Don't worry! Everyone does wedding planning in their own way, at their own pace. 

Here are some "easy" options:

Save the Dates and Invites:  vistaprint.com   They are very very inexpensive (before you purchase, google "vistaprint coupon" and get a coupon code to save even more), easy to make, and all electronic. We did postcards for save the dates (holiday) and the whole kit and caboodle for invites.

Bridesmaids' Dresses: Is it important to you that they all have the same gown?  If you're open to different, but similar styles, you could avoid fittings and getting all together if you offered them "pick a little black dress from J Crews website" or something like that. This has the added bonus of being re-wearable..and the girls will get a style they really like and look best in:)

Those are just a few suggestions, if it helps. Good luck:)

MilitaryBride2Be

If you're looking at cakes check out Lunds and Byerl's. I went to the Plymouth location last week and they have some really amazing ideas and very tastey flavors. Prices were very reasonable too

Steph0871

first: breathe.  Although we had our vendors booked about 10 months out, I really didn't do anything after that until about 5 months prior to the wedding. It all came together perfectly

Dresses- David's Bridal. I had great experiences at the Roseville one!

STDs- vistaprint.  Or just make a cute one using the Target holiday cards.  You can always add your text, and now is a great time to get them cheap with Christmas coming up.

We didn't finalize our guest list until a few days after we sent out invites, so don't stress about those too much yet.

graysquirrel

Don't worry too much yet! Just tackle things one at a time and set goals for yourself and you will be fine. I agree with pps that Davids is a good choice because they can be found all over the country. We got BM dresses at Angeliques in Blaine and they had a decent selection. 

For cakes have you tried Grandma's Bakery in White Bear? They're one of the less expensive places we found (and the bakery we decided to go with).

It took a while for me to get a list from FMIL as well, but if I were you I wouldn't let it get too late. FI should keep asking so that you can get a solid idea of a head count for budgeting purposes, as well as your STDs. It can be a pain, but it is really worth it. Once I got my list it got rid of a lot of stress.

tpender13

I just wanted to add my two cents -- my entire engagement was only 5 months, and we didn't book our venue until about 2 months in, so almost everything was done in the last 3 months. You'll be fine, just try to relax. GL!